Plane Crash Deaths Soared In 2018, But Flying Is Still Getting Safer

According to a report released by the Aviation Safety Network, 556 people died in a total of 15 airliner accidents worldwide last year.

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The number of people killed in airplane crashes shot up significantly in 2018.

According to a report released by the Aviation Safety Network, 556 people died in a total of 15 airliner accidents worldwide last year.

That's a pretty big jump from the previous year, which only saw 10 accidents and 44 deaths. Those low numbers made 2017 the safest year ever for commercial aviation.

But despite the sharp increase in deaths, 2018 was still one of the safest years on record. And experts say aviation safety is continuing to get better overall.

As the Aviation Safety Network's chief executive said: "If the accident rate had remained the same as 10 years ago, there would have been 39 fatal accidents last year. This shows the enormous progress in terms of safety in the past two decades."

The report says "loss of control" accidents have been a major safety concern over the last five years and caused at least 10 of the 25 worst accidents.